"West coast traffic..." 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Sunday)

Judith Whitehead lives with her husband Steve in Amherst N.Y.
Judith has worked in the ophthalmology
 field of medicine for over 30 years...

West coast traffic

No one can dispute the beauty of the West coast with its tropical summer breezes and perfect weather...cool mornings, sunny afternoons and low humidity.  

We always like to take a drive down to Malibu and try new eating establishments while we are here. The road to the ocean is a winding one through the caverns and mountains and usually takes only about 20 minutes to get to the other side. 

 It's all about what time you attempt to travel in this part of the country.  The early mornings are busy with traffic, early evening is usually better before people return to their homes.  We must have hit the wrong time to travel. We spent 20 minutes to get to our destination and almost 3 hours to return with 5 mph traffic crawling the whole way home.

 The Los Angeles area has much beauty to offer, great weather and great food but oh the traffic.

I have little patience for this any longer, having lived out here many years ago we learned to tolerate it but  I was  also in my 20's at the time.  It is such a huge waste of time and life to sit in a car for that many hours to get to a location that is only 15 miles away.  That's why if I ever return to this area it will be for only a partial year.

Life is too short to spend it in lines of  traffic any longer.

Judith and Steve's Hotel, after a day in traffic they can relax...

The publisher of this blog says,

"Rent bicycles next time!  I ride a bike on Kaua'i and pass car after car even biking at a snails pace..."  James "Kimo" Rosen

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared From Facebook...

Breeze and Buttons..." 'Chester "Unc" Lau (Source)

Dakinetalks favorite Uncle (Chester Lau)

"Unc"  is really passionate about creating a national Caregivers day.

Any help , support or ideas would be greatly appreciated...

'Unc' currently resides on the Hawai'ian Island of Oahu. 
He is a retired cinematographer,
 and  enjoys giving the politicians a bad time...

Breeze and Buttons

    Hours after his birth, Breeze was found stumbling around by a farmer.  The newborn foal had been abandoned by his mother so the farmer took him to the Devon-based Mare and Foal Sanctuary where they cared for him. What happened next is  heartwarming.  One of the staff put a four-foot giant Teddy Bear called Buttons  into the stall with Breeze.

   The foal was instantly attracted to him.  He had found a comforting replacement for his mother.  The two are inseparable. The caregivers  expect Breeze to be fine, thanks to the farmer who rescued him and to those who cared enough to take this little Cutie in.    Special thanks to Buttons. 

P.S.
What do you think about this? A judge has sentenced a Kauai man to one year of probation and a $200 fine for making his son walk 1 mile home from school as a form of discipline;
Read story at Hawai'i News Now!
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/25644027/kauai-man-gets-probation-for-making-kid-walk-mile?utm_content=buffer23446&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

 KHON interviews the father, check it out, 

http://khon2.com/2014/05/29/kauai-father-explains-why-he-made-his-son-walk-a-mile-home/


Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared from Facebook...

"What Tampons are used for..." 'Obama Da Dog' (Source)

Obama Da Dog found  something on Facebook that made sense.
She wants to share this story with the world...

What Tampons are used for

Two young boys walked into a pharmacy one day, picked out a box of tampons and proceeded to the checkout counter.

The pharmacist at the counter asked the older boy, 'Son, how old are you?'

'Eight', the boy replied.

The man continued, 'Do you know what these are used for?'

The boy replied, 'Not exactly, but they aren't for me. They're for him. He's my brother. He's four."

"Oh, really?" the pharmacist replied with a grin.

"Yes." the boy said. "We saw on TV that if you use these, you would be able to swim, play tennis and ride a bike. Right now, he can't do none of those."

Cheeky rascals!

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"FRIENDS..." 'Bettejo Dux' (Classic Wednesday)

Bettejo Dux has lived on the cosmic Garden Island of Kaua'i for over 40 years...

Bettejo  is the author of the famed novella, "The Scam."

Her new book "Children of Extinction" will be out soon!

FRIENDS

I am unhappy about  generalizations. You know the kind: most blondes are  dumb. To be really happy one must have a lot of  friends.

I think  about friends. I’m not a people collector. I think it may be a writer’s trait. A  brilliant writer friend, who I see seldom, says the same thing. He goes a step further, feeling he must have been adopted because his mother was such a gregarious person. I’m gregarious.  Sometimes. Sometimes not. I attribute that trait to being an only child.and moving around a lot. I attended six schools before graduating from High School.

I had a friend-at least one-in every school but did not usually carry her around with me when I moved. As a little girl, I had mostly girl friends. Boy friends? I always went steady. Didn’t shop around.  Liked one guy at a time until we broke up. I did carry one boy friends around for over sixty years. That’s because we always kept bumping  into each other in curious corners of the world. He and my husband and I graduated from the same school in Marine County. Met in Manila.  Then became neighbors on Oahu. Got to know his darling family. After my husband died and he divorced his wife, we attended our 40th high school reunion together. The only couple who had gone together in high school. He was born August 16, 1929. I was born August 15, 1930.

I took him as guest speaker to a Rotary Meeting in Poipu when he visited me on our shared 75th birth dates. When he got a year older, I sent him back.

A very successful, handsome man- Annapolis grad, Naval attaché in New Delhi, CO of Treasure Island, a Bohemian-he was a  swell guy. We fought a lot. About wars, politics and stuff. His first wife was darling.

He and his first wife recently died. I miss them.

I was never friendly with relatives. Attribute this to my vagabond life. I left the country when I was 19 and toddled about on adventures in exotic ports-La Ceiba. Quito. Zamboanga, Appari, Guayaquil.  Became acquainted with  a beautiful cousin who lives on the mainland. She visited me here. I  wish we’d met earlier. She’s some  twenty years younger than I. Her father and my father were brothers.  She attended Stanford on scholarship.

When I came back to America-to Hawaii-I was thrust into a very strange  world. Suburbia USA. Then Kauai, a third world feudal state, in both of which venues I  did not belong.  I’ve been, in my life, the one everybody loved to love and the one everybody loved to hate.  Don’t know which role I loved the best.

At the moment I have one very  dear friend. He’s an editor, publisher, photographer, blogger, columnist and great guy. He loves dogs. He and his dog, Obama, have visited my jungle house. They understand my eccentricity and both, I think, are  inclined to be loners, too Know why I like him? Because he makes me feel ageless.

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"THE CHALLENGE..." 'Robert Bitos Gandia' (Source)

 Guest-blogger,Robert Bitos Gandia.
Robert is an avid cook (ono gandule rice) and always laughing!!
He works at Syngenta as a Research Associate.
Robert lives in Kekaha on Kauai's west-side and loves football!!

THE CHALLENGE

A man walks into a bar, notices a very large jar on the counter, and sees that it's filled to the brim with $20 bills. He guesses there must be at least ten thousand dollars in it.

He approaches the bartender and asks, "What's with the money in the jar?"
"Well..., you pay $20, and if you pass three tests, you get all the money in the jar and the keys to a brand new Lexus."

The man certainly isn't going to pass this up, so he asks, "What are the three tests?"
"You gotta pay first," says the bartender, "those are the rules."

So, after thinking it over a while, the man gives the bartender $20 which he stuffs into the jar.
"Okay," says the bar- tender, "here's what you need to do:
First - You have to drink a whole quart of tequila, in 60 seconds or less, and you can't make a face while doing it."

"Second - There's a pit bull chained in the back with a bad tooth. You have to remove that tooth with your bare hands."

"Third - There's a 90-year old lady upstairs who's never had sex. You have to take care of that problem."
The man is stunned! "I know I paid my $20 -- but I'm not an idiot! I won't do it! You'd have to be nuts to drink a quart of tequila and then do all those other things!"

"Your call," says the bartender, "but, your money stays where it is."
As time goes on, the man has a few more drinks and finally says, "Where's the damn tequila?!"
He grabs the bottle with both hands and drinks it as fast as he can. Tears stream down both cheeks -- but he doesn't make a face -- and he drinks it in 58 seconds!

Next, he staggers out the back door where he sees the pit bull chained to a pole. Soon, the people inside the bar hear loud growling, screaming, and sounds of a terrible fight -- then nothing but silence! Just when they think that the man surely must be dead, he staggers back into the bar. His clothes are ripped to shreds and he's bleeding from bites and gashes all over his body. He drunkenly says,
"Now..., where's that old woman with the bad tooth?"

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'Great politician, an Oxymoron‏..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen'

James “Kimo” Rosen is a retired professional photographer living in
Kapa'a Hawai'i with his best friend Obama Da Dog, Rosen also blogs as a hobby... 

Please know the true reason for Memorial day..
Happy Memorial day and God bless America!

Great politician, an oxymoron‏

Great politician is somewhat an oxymoron like jumbo shrimp, how can a politician be great. There are exceptions but are few and far between.

It's that time of year again where the narcissistic professional sign waivers come out of the closets and seem to block and occupy most busy sidewalks and intersections on the cosmic Garden island. These people hope to call themselves politicians come the next election.

There's the famous joke, "How do you know when a politician is lying?" "As soon soon as they start talking." What politician hasn't lied? I cannot think of one. That doesn't mean i dislike every politician, it just means  to keep your nose on the trail and eye on the back wind. A phrase I lerarne d  while hunting in Alaska.

I like to tell every potential political candidate I meet that I am voting for them even if I do not intend to. I'm not really lying, I ma just playing politician with  a potential politician.

I always ask politician why is everything so expensive on Kauai, the best answer I ever heard was "In spite of the cost of living, it is still popular." Then I to find out the politician was quoting someone else, J.L. Peter.

After the elections there  is no longer the need to block sidewalks or wave from their favorite street corner. For the hand wavers who win  county council seats,  it's now time to attend to their part time job which pays $56,000 a year, (an extra $7,000 for the chair) $500 a month car allowance, the best available health insurance known to  man and woman-kind and  free bus service for unlimited travel island wide of which most county employees never use.

Enjoy the hand-waving competition for it will soon be over, and make sure to vote for your favorite hand waiver this coming November. I still like the Miss America wave da best!

In spite of it all remember to re-elect nobody unless there a somebody.


P.S. 
Check out this YouTube on the proper way to use tinfoil and plastic wrap!;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGiPh_UPzEw#t=111

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"Less is more, pack light..." 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Sunday)

Judith Whitehead lives with her husband Steve in Amherst N.Y.
Judith has worked in the ophthalmology
 field of medicine for over 30 years...

Less is more, pack light

Once again I am getting ready to take a trip across the country to get some well needed rest and sun...and remind myself that when packing, "less is more." 

Over the years I have had a tendency to over pack and have gotten a case of the "what ifs. What if it rains, what if it's cold etc. 

 I have decided to throw caution to the wind this summer and take only those items that I will want  and have the desire to wear,the bare essentials.

Why schlep all those clothes that I will just unpack unused when I have returned.  I have even found the lightest of suitcases that can be lifted empty with one finger and rolls in every direction.  This year I am making it very easy on myself.

When we are young, we need to pack many accessories just in case we may want or need them, not any more.. I am sticking to my mantra this time, less is more.  

Now watch it rain and be cold this time and I will be freezing, lol...

I remember one year we went to Hawai'i and they had record 60 mph winds that week. We lived in our light jackets we brought along..

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"Can you guess who this man is..?" & "Only in India..." 'Chester "Unc" Lau' (Source)

Dakinetalks favorite Uncle (Chester Lau)

"Unc"  is really passionate about creating a national Caregivers day.

Any help , support or ideas would be greatly appreciated...

'Unc' currently resides on the Hawai'ian Island of Oahu. 
He is a retired cinematographer,
 and  enjoys giving the politicians a bad time...

Can you guess who this man is?


Kaua'i is fortunate to have a resident who loves the island style of living and tries to improve island life through his Facebook blog: Dakinetalk...

  He gives islanders a  forum  to praise or complain about life in general.  He encourages our leaders to cut taxes & improve the island economy by bringing  back the Super Ferry.  Competition will boost quality and service.  It'll also bring prices down for residents and visitors alike.  

This funny & entertaining man is trying to help his "Uncle" (and everyone's "Uncle") Chester "Unc" Lau  of Oahu get the ball rolling for A CAREGIVERS' RECOGNITION DAY,   possibly a proclamation by President Obama.  

The majority of us don't realize the need for a caregiver, until  a critical time.  Do you have enough savings  for professional help in your "golden years"?  Think now & prepare for later.  

Most everyone will eventually need professional elder care.  Who is this fun-loving, bestest writer in Kapa'a, Kaua'i? 

If you guessed Rabbi Kimo Rosen, your prize is an order of sweet & sour shrimp from one of Hawaii's many excellent Asian restaurants courtesy of ex-president George W.Bush !

P.S.
Only in India

Mr. Sharma comes home one night, and his wife throws her arms around his neck: "I have great news: I'm a month overdue. I think we're going to have a baby! The doctor gave me a test today, but until we find out for sure, we can't tell anybody."            

The next day, Mrs. Sharma receives a telephone call from Reliance Energy because the electricity bill has not been paid.
"Am I speaking to Mrs. Sharma?"
"Yes... speaking".
Reliance guy, "You're a month overdue, you know!"
"How do YOU know?" stammers the young woman.
"Well, ma'am, it's in our files!" says the Reliance guy.
"What are you saying? It's in your files ...HOW?????"
" Yes ............  We have a system of finding out who's overdue "
" GOD!!!!!!......... This is too much.........."
"Madam, I am sorry.... I am following orders.... I have to inform you that you are overdue and have to do something about it."
"I know that.... let me talk to my husband about this tonight.... He will speak to your company tomorrow " 

That night she tells her husband about the incident, and he, mad as a bull, rushes to the Reliance office the next morning.

"What's going on? You dare you have it on your file that my wife is a month overdue? What business is that of yours?" the husband shouts.
"Just calm down," says the lady at the reception at Reliance, "it's nothing serious. All you have to do is pay us."
"PAY you? And if I refuse?"
"Well, in that case, sir, we'd have no option but to cut off  your connection."
"And what would my wife do then?" the husband asks.
"I don't know. I guess she'd have to use a candle." 

Hana Hou, (Encore) Shared from Facebook...

"Climate change..." 'Bettejo Dux' (Classic Wednesday)

Bettejo Dux has lived on the cosmic Garden Island of Kaua'i for over 40 years...

Bettejo  is the author of thefamed novella, "The Scam."

Her new book "Children of Extinction" will be out soon!

Climate Change

I am not a  scientist, I try very hard not to  indulge in name calling; but my  husband was an engineer and he 
taught me, 'if it can be measured, it's there'.

We are experiencing global warming. It can be measured. We can measure an extreme  increase in CO2 since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

We have a North West Passage  for the first time in the history of  mankind. Glaciers are calving and 
melting at alarming rates. Seas  are rising. There will be no snows on Kilimanjaro. Greenland could 
be lost. The American South West will be a desert.

Man caused? Who knows.Please watch the excellent  documentary HOME and decide for yourself. 

A metaphor: if one cleans up a  rats' mess in the hope it will  clean out a rats' nest, isn't it  better to give it a try?

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"A Taste of Google..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen' (Column #18)

James Kimo Rosen and Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr.
at the 2010 Taste of Hawaii.
Carvalho played in the NFL for two years. He was drafted by the
 Miami Dolphins in the 1984 draft and played offensive lineman...
Mayor Carvalho is the epitome of what a great mayor should be. I believe he learned much form his football career in being a team player which has continued on into his  political career. 

Vendors at the 2013 Taste of Hawaii...

Aloha,Check out my column in the 05-19-14 edition of the
 Kaua'i Garden Island news; "A Taste of Google?"
If you like it, please click recommend on the top left or bottom of page.
 The link is below. Hope you  enjoy!
http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/guest/a-taste-of-google/article_5a8ebf5c-df13-11e3-a624-001a4bcf887a.html

A Taste of Google

Twenty years ago if you didn't feel good you went to the doctor. Twenty years ago if your dog was whoozing and  sleeping all day, you would take your buddy to the vet. Twenty years ago if you were writing a dissertation for your PhD you'd go to the library. Twenty years ago if you needed some body's phone number, you used a phone book or called 411. Twenty years ago if you needed a recipe for meatloaf, you asked a friend or consulted a recipe book.

Fast forward to 2014 where anything you need to know can be looked up instantaneously  via any  web search engine. The Internet is available everywhere from coffee shops, fast food establishments and hotels via WiFi. If one doesn't have a computer, cell phones are now capable of doing what computers do and sometimes more.

 There are many search engines on which to consult about anything and everything. There is Bing, Ask, Dogpile, Yahoo, Google and many more search engines of which to ask any question the human mind can think, or even dream of.

Search engines are the encyclopedia of this era. Anything you need to know  can be  type into a search engine. Any person you need information on can also be  typed into a search engine. The most popular search engine is “Google”and the term “Google it” has become synonymous with telling someone to look it up on a search engine. Just like the term ‘Xerox’ became synonymous with the word copy, although there are many copy machine manufacturers, ‘Xerox’ became the hype, just as ‘Google’  is now the hype. Nobody ever says I am going to Bing, Dogpile or Yahoo  it.

The name Google is believed to be named after the misspelling of the mathematical term "googol." The term "googol" means the number one which is then followed by one hundred zeros.

The word Google sounds like baby talk, on the contrary it has answers to almost everything. I love to Google names from my past, like old girlfriends or people from elementary school, high school, college and even the names of  those reading this.  

I tested Google for accuracy and  'Googled,"Kauai's ultimate Sunday brunch." Google and Bing both came up   with "Taste of Hawaii." 

The 'Taste of Hawai'i on Kauai is always the first Sunday in June from 11:30-3:30 P.M.  Taste features 40 plus chefs from restaurants around Hawaii, 15 plus  beverage vendors, 10 plus  musical and entertainment groups, A large silent auction all at the amazing Smith's Tropical Paradise.

Tickets for the 26th annual 'Taste' are $100.00 in advance and $55.00 of each ticket can be used as a charitable write off on your next year's tax return. The hosting Kapa'a Rotary club has informed that beer and wine are included. The law requires no matter what your age to have ID. Please bring ID if you wish to drink adult beverages.

 All profits go towards scholarships for local youth and fund international projects such as providing safe drinking water and sanitation for people in poverty stricken areas. "Taste" is an unlimited taste of food, a taste of community, a taste of charity. If it weren't for the Taste I would be a total social recluse, it is the one event I attend religiously each and every year.

Now to test Google one more time, I just Googled Kauai's greatest newspaper and came up with The Garden Island news! The two greatest things about Kauai,The Garden island news and The Taste of Hawaii!

OK, now back to Google.

How many people have ever Googled themselves? Googling yourself sounds like something the priest might discipline you for.  Googling yourself actually feels good. Anyone with a computer who  has not Googled themselves is most likely lying. Googling yourself is something almost  everyone has done,  however most people never admit to it-- plus it just sounds cool to say, "Google it."

I am recommending to everyone, forget what the masses say and go ‘Google’ yourself.  You won’t go blind and you may just learn a thing or two about that person in the mirror, I most certainly did.

http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/guest/a-taste-of-google/article_5a8ebf5c-df13-11e3-a624-001a4bcf887a.html

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"Time for a new mattress..." 'Judith Whitehead' (Inspiration Sunday)

Judith Whitehead lives with her husband Steve in Amherst N.Y.
Judith has worked in the ophthalmology
 field of medicine for over 30 years...

Time for a new mattress

My husband and I have spent the last almost 40 years sharing a double sized bed. We are almost ready to spring for a new mattress. The last several years we have talked about up sizing to a queen size because we are feeling a bit crowded lately...

I guess our mature sizes"  have managed to spread out over the years.  The down side is the extra new bedding etc. that will have to be purchased for a new bed size.

 The more people I talk to can't believe we are still only in a double bed. The only people I know that use this size were my parents, it seems.  So, here is a survey;

How many of you couples are still managing in a double size bed mattress??

Judith & Steve have decided to spring for a bigger mattress.

P.S.

True Love

For the past 6 years, a dog named Capitán has slept on the grave of his owner every night. His owner, Miguel Guzmán died in 2006 and Capitán disappeared shortly after the family attended the funeral services. They searched everywhere and put out flyers to try and find him. But no one had seen him.

A week later, some people who were at the cemetery late one evening spotted Capitán laying on a grave and they contacted the grounds keeper at the cemetery. The cemetery notified the family who promptly came to pick him up and take him home. But each night he would cry and scratch frantically at the door to go out and he wouldn't return home until morning. It was later discovered that Capitán would walk the 3 miles back to the cemetary each night to guard his master's grave.

It has been nearly 7 years now. The cemetery does not close the gates until he arrives each night promptly at 6 pm. He sleeps there all night guarding the grave until the grounds keeper opens the gate in the morning. This is a true picture of Capitan here http://instagram.com/p/oAJsgmxban/

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